In a wide-open Eastern Conference, measuring up against fellow playoff hopefuls is of the utmost importance for the regular season. The Boston Celtics got their first look at another team with big question marks in the Philadelphia 76ers tonight.
Boston’s primary scoring trio – Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard – got off to a strong start, scoring or assisting on their first 16 points. Joe Mazzulla turned to Xavier Tillman Sr. as his first player off the bench, who immediately made a defensive impact against Joel Embiid.
Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe was cooking early, scoring 11 of their first 20 points in his NBA debut. It was sorely needed to keep Philadelphia close in the first quarter, with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey offering little to the offense. Boston’s pick-and-roll and transition defense looked a bit rusty, leaving Edgecombe with several opportunities to punish the rim and knock down shots.
But the Celtics survived the first-quarter VJ flurry to take a lead into the second. That lead didn’t last long, however, as Tyrese Maxey got things going in the second quarter. Philly’s star lead guard put up 22 points in the first half to put the Sixers up 57-51 going into the break. Turnovers and fouls killed Boston in the early going.
Celtics center Luka Garza was ruled out at halftime after entering the league’s concussion protocol. He took a serious shot to the face in the second quarter and was dripping blood from his mouth after the play. That made Boston’s depleted frontcourt thinner, but Joe Mazzulla is a raise-my-rent coach if there’s ever been one.
Speaking of Joe, there was some true Mazzulla Ball being played in the third quarter. A flurry of threes and timely defensive plays fueled a 21-4 run out of the half, led by none other than Derrick White, who is primed to show All-Star stuff this season.
Philly managed to whittle the lead down, led by a still-cooking VJ Edgecombe, but Boston kept the lead at 86-75 going into the fourth quarter.
The Sixers remained scrappy, getting significant contributions from the backcourt on a night where Joel Embiid didn’t have it, and kept the game within striking distance. Then they took over in crunch time, storming back to take a two-point lead with two minutes to go. The Celtics couldn’t get out of their own way with bad fouls and turnovers, while Tyrese Maxey kept cooking.
However, they got a glimmer of hope at the end. Playing the clutch-time foul game, Edgecombe missed both free throws with Philly only up one. That gave the Celtics a window with 7.8 seconds left, and Payton Pritchard’s first attempt at a game-winner was blocked by Quentin Grimes. His second went long, and Philly pulled out a slim victory at the Garden. You have to wonder if Jaylen Brown should have gotten the last chance to win the game.
Philly was fueled by their backcourt; Maxey put up a massive 40 points, while the rookie Edgecombe had 34 in his NBA debut. That was the second-most points for a debut game after Wilt Chamberlain. Talk about some legendary company.
Some notable Celtics performances include Derrick White (25p, 3r, 4a, 2stk) and Jaylen Brown (25p, 6r, 4a). They also got an important 17 points and eight rebounds from Neemias Queta, who was active all night. It’s a tough loss to swallow, but the C’s have plenty to build on going into their Friday night date with the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
